Chapter 21 The Rogue King
Chapter 21
The Rogue King
Olivia's POV
The tent smelled like smoke and old leather when Max returned. I had not slept ever since I got here. It's been days.Every time my eyes were closed, all I saw was Ryder running, bleeding, calling my name through the bond. There was still a pain left in my chest, a dull constant pain, like a warning, not wanting to go away.
Max pushed aside the flap of the tent and entered without knocking. He was looking tired in a way that went beyond tiredness. His shoulders were tight. His jaw appeared to be frozen in a position.
"You're awake," he said. His tone sounded harsh.
"I didn't come here to sleep," I replied. "You said we would talk."
He nodded his head and sat down in front of me, close enough so I could see the faint scar down his temple. I had noticed it before, but never asked.
"You deserve the truth," he said. "If you're going to stay here, you need to know why."
I crossed my arms. "Start talking."
He breathed out through his nose, slow and heavy. "Your father ruined my life."
The words landed hard.
"My father doesn't even know you," I said.
Max gave a short laugh. "He knows my blood. He just pretends it never happened."
I stayed silent. Something from the tone of his voice told me not to interrupt.
"I was eight," he continued. "My father was next in line to take the lead at Redcreek. He wasn't weak. He wasn't cruel. He believed in balance. That made him dangerous."
I felt my chest tighten. "Dangerous to who?"
"To men who desired power," Max said. "To your father."
I shook my head. "That's not true."
"You weren't there," he replied. "I was."
He leaned back and his eyes were glued to the tent wall as if he were looking at something far away. "There was a gathering. Elders. Guards. The whole pack. My father went in with the expectation of a vote. He never came out."
My mouth felt dry. "What are you saying?"
I'm saying Alpha Harry killed him,' said Max. "Not in a fight. Not in honor. "He poisoned him!"
"That's a lie," I whispered.
"My mother watched them drag his body away," Max said. "She took a hold of me and ran before they could silence her as well."
I stood up, my legs unsteady. "My father wouldn't do that."
"He did," Max stoutly stated, at last looking at me. "And then he stood before the pack and took the title your father still wears."
I shook my head, and tears burned my eyes. "No. You're twisting this."
"You want proof?" he asked. "Ask him why there are no records of the previous Alpha's death. Ask him why my family name was scrubbed out."
And I sunk back down with a pounding heart. Memories drowned in. Questions I never asked. Stories that never added up. I once noticed the loophole but I was indifferent because it wasn't in my place to question pack records. I was just the Alpha's daughter.
Max's voice softened. "We ran away into the woods that night. My mother kept me quiet, as the pack searched for us. When guards passed, she hid me under leaves. I had learned to be silent before I learned to read."
I swallowed hard.
"She died when I was twelve years old," he said. "Fever. No healing healer would touch a child of the rogue. I buried her myself."
"I'm sorry," I said and I couldn't stop myself.
His eyes flicked to mine. "Sorry doesn't bring them back."
Silence hung in between us.
"That's why you hate Redcreek," I said with sudden realisation.
Hearing the things my father did, utterly broke my heart. I had always known my father to be a tough person but not as a desperate man who would murder someone.
"If he could betroth you to a ruthless Alpha, what makes you think he can't get rid of his opponent?" my subconscious mind pricked me.
"That's why I hate all Alphas," he corrected. "They protect each other. They lie. They kill and call it order."
"And your plan?" I asked. "What does that make me?"
He stood and stepped closer. "You are the crack on their system."
I flinched. "I'm not a weapon."
"You are the daughter of a thief," he said. "And the mate of a Lycan prince. With you, I can break them."
My stomach twisted. "So this is about war."
"This is about justice," he said.
"You just want to burn everything," I said.
"I want to make an end of the rule of the bloodlines," he said. "No more kings. No more councils. No more forced bonds."
"And you?" I asked. "You'll rule instead?"
He smiled without humor. "Someone has to."
I stepped back. "You're using me."
"I'm protecting you," he said. "If they come for you, they come through me."
"I didn't agree to this," I said.
"You didn't agree it when they locked you in a house too," he shot back.
I clenched my fists. "Ryder will come for me."
Max's face hardened. "If he does, I will kill him."
The bond screamed in protest. So I gasped and placed my hand over my chest.
"Say that again," I said, my voice quivering.
"He chose his side," Max replied. "And I chose mine."
"You don't get to choose who I love," I said. "You're no better than the men you hate."
His eyes darkened. "Careful."
"I won't help you to start a war," I said. "And I won't be your mate."
He turned away, jaw tight. "You'll change your mind."
"I won't," I said.
He paused at the entrance. "Rest. Tomorrow, the world will be seen as I see it."
When he left, I fell to the ground shaking. My father's face appeared in my mind. Faint, but alive, echoed Ryder's voice through the bond.
I cried silently as I thought of how chaotic my life had become ever since I turned eighteen.